Pivoted latch knitting needle



PIVOTED LATCH KNITTING NEEDLE Filed Dec. 30, 1963 FLE E FlE- J ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,253,427 PIVOTED LATCH KNITTING NEEDLE Joseph Pace, Birdsboro, and Sebastian J. Levanti, Reading, Pa., assignors to Textile Machine Works, Wyomissing, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Dec. 30, 1963, Ser. No. 334,171

8 Claims. (Cl. 66-122) This invention relates to pivoted latch needles for knitting machines and more particularly to an improvement in the bearing structure for pivotally supporting the latches of such needles.

In pivoted latch needles and particularly such needles for use in circular knitting machines for knitting sheer tubular fabrics such as for ladies stockings and the like, the latch is mounted for pivotal movement on hearing or trunnion structure which is formed by displacing the material of the side walls or checks at opposite sides of the latch into the bearing hole in the latch., Of the various forms of such bearing structures heretofore most commonly in use, those designed to provide a complete circular support for the latch during its pivotal movement were defective in that they offered little or no resistance to accidental lateral spreading of the sidewalls which resulted in release of the latch from the needle while those designed to resist such accidental lateral spreadingof side walls failed by not providing the necessary accurate support for the latch pivoting movement.

' It is an object of the invention to provide a pivoted latch needle, with hearing structure for supporting the latch during its pivotal movement that will overcome the above mentioned and other defects heretofore encountered in such needles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pivoted latch needle with hearing structure for supporting the latch which not only accurately guides the latch during its pivotal movements but which also acts to resist accidental release of the latch from the needle.

A- further object is the provision of bearing structure for the latch of a pivoted latch needle, the bearing structure including an opposed pair of semicircular members, one of the members being formed by displacing material of a side wall of the needle at one side of the latch into the bearing hole of the latch and the other member being formed by displacing material of a side wall of the needle at the other side of the latch into the bearing opening of the latch. Each of the members has a bearing surface in operative engagement with the bearing surface in one half of the bearing hole across substantially the full Width of the latch and each member is connected by a root portion to the side Wall from which it is displaced which is in supporting engagement with the other member.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the invention comprises the novel features of construction herein-after more particularly pointed out in the claims.

. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a pivoted latch needle having bearing means according to the invention for supporting the latch;

FIG. 2 is a view of the latch bearing means of FIG. 1 on a greatly enlarged scale;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the assembled needle and latch prior to the formation of the bearing means;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the latch bearing means as it is finally formed; and

3,253,427 Patented May 31, 1966 'ice FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I and in the, direction of the arrows 55 of FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawing there is shown a needle 10 having a shank 11, a butt 12 at the lower end of the shank, a hook 15 at the upper end of the shank. Adjacent the hook 15, the shank is provided with spaced-side walls or cheeks 16 and 17 defining a slot' 20 adapted to receive one end of a latch member 21 having a bearing hole 22 for receiving trunnion or bearing means indicated generally at 25 (FIGS. 2 to 5) for supporting the latch for pivotal movement from an open or so-called stitch clearing position to a closed position to cover the tip of the hook.

The bearing means 25 includes an opposed pair of lugs or members 26 and 27 (FIGS. 2, 4 and 5). Member 26, which is formed of material pressed or extruded from the side wall 16 at one side of the latch 21, has an outer semicircular surface in operative engagement with the bearing surface in one half of the hole 22 across substantially the full width of the latch and member 27 which is formed of material displaced in a like manner from the side wall 17 at the other side of the latch, has an outer semicircular surface in operative engagement With the bearing surface in the other half of the hole in the latch. The member 26 is connected by a root portion 30 to the side wall 16 and the member 27 is connectedby a root portion 31 to the side wall 17. The root portion 30, which lies opposite member 27, has an inner surface 35. extending inwardly from the inner surface of side wall 16 to engage member 27. Root portion 31, lying opposite member 26, has an inner surface 36 extending inwardly from side wall 17 to engage the member 26. The root portions 30 and 31 are connected to the members 26 and 27, respectively, in a common plane extending through the center of the hole 22 and generally indicated at 37 (FIG. 5) and the material thickness of the root portion in said common plane is less than at their connection with the side walls 16 and 17.

The members 26 and 27 are formed by an opposed pair of punches 40 and 41, punch 40 having a tip 42 semicircular or half round in cross section and punch 41 similarly having a tip 43 semicircular or half round in cross section, the cross sections of the tips together defining a circle having a diameter slightly less than that of the hole in the latch. For example if the hole in the latch has a diameter of 0.0125 inch the diameter of combined tips may be 0.012 inch. The fiat forward end surfaces of the tips extend along planes which are parallel to each other and to the surfaces of the side Walls 16 and 17. After the needle and latch are assembled between the punches, as shown in FIG. 3, the punches are simultaneously moved toward each other to displace the material of the side walls inwardly into the hole 22 to form the members 26 and 27. During the initial movement of the punches the flat end surfaces of the .punches cause an even inward flow of material into opposite halves of the hole 22 until the inner surfaces 35 and 36 of the root portions are in engagement with each other. Then as the punches continue to move to their final positions the inner surfaces 35 and 36 also cause the material of members 26 and 27 to flow outwardly to engage the bearing surfaces in the opposite halves of the bearing hole in the latch.

The improvements specifically shown and described by which the above described results are obtained can be changed and modified in various ways without departing from the invention herein disclosed and hereinafter claimed.

latch, a bearing hole in said one end of said latch, and bearing structure engageable in said hole for supporting said latch for pivotal movement, said. bearing structure comprising an opposed pair of semicircular members, one of said pair of members being displaced into one half of said bearing hole from the side wall at one side of said latch and the other of said members being displaced into the other half of said bearing hole from the side wall at the other side of said latch, said pair of members each having a root portion connecting it to the side wall from which it is displaced, said root portion of each of said members lying opposite to and having an inner surface in engagement with the other of said members.

2. A needle having a shank portion, a latch, opposed side walls in said shank defining a slot for receiving one end of said latch, a bearing hole in said one end of said latch, and bearing means for supporting said latch for pivotal movement including an opposed pair of members, one of said members being displaced from the side wall at one side of said latch to engage the bearing surface in one half of said bearing hole and the other of said members being displaced from the side wall at the other side of said latch to engage the bearing surface in the other half of said bearing hole, each of said members having a root portion connecting said member to the side wall from which it is displaced, and said root portion of each of said members lying opposite to and having an inner surface in engagement with the other of said members.

3. In a needle according to claim 2 in which each of said members engages the bearing surface in one half of said bearing hole across substantially the full width of said latch.

4. In a needle according to claim 3 in which said root portion associated with each member has a material thickness of less width at the point of connection with said member than at the point of connection with said side wall.

5. In a needle according to claim 2 in which said root portions are connected to their associated members in a common plane extending through the center of said bearing hole.

6. In a needle according to claim 5 in which each said root portion has a material thickness which is less at said common plane than at its point of connection with said side wall.

7. A pivoted latch needle having a shank, a butt at one end of said shank, a hook at the other end of said shank, a latch, opposed side walls in said shank defining a slot for receiving one end of said latch, an opening in said one end of said latch, and bearing means within said opening for supporting said latch for pivotal movement, said bearing means comprising opposed semicircular members one of which is displaced into one half of said opening from the side wall at one side of said latch and the other of which is displaced into the other half of said opening from the side wall at the opposite side of said latch, each of said members being connected by a root portion to the side wall from which it is displaced, and said root portion associated with each of said members having an inner surface thereof in abutting engagement with the other of said members.

8. A needle having a shank, a latch, opposed side walls in said shank defining a slot for receiving one end of said latch, a bearing hole in said one end of said latch and bearing means engageable within said bearing hole for supporting said latch for pivotal movement, said bearing means comprising an opposed pair of semicircular members one of which is displaced into one half of said bearing hole from the side wall at one side of said latch and the other of which is displaced into the other half of said bearing hole from the side wall at the opposite side of said latch, each of said members having a root portion connecting it to the side wall from which it is displaced and said root portion associated with each of said members lying opposite to and having an inwardly inclined inner surface in engagement with the other of said members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,991,140 2/1935 Currier 66122 X 3,022,651 2/1962 Oberem 66122 3,145,550 8/1964 Bennett 66-121 FOREIGN PATENTS 930,717 7/1963 Great Britain.

DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner.

RUSSELL C. MADER, Examiner.

R. FELDBAUM, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A NEEDLE HAVING A SHANK, A LATCH OPPOSED SIDE WALLS IN SAID SHANK DEFINING A SLOT FOP RECEIVING ONE END OF SAID LATCH, A BEARING HOLE IN SAID ONE END OF SAID LATCH, AND BEARING STRUCTURE ENGAGEABLE IN SAID HOLE FOR SUPPORTING SAID LATCH FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT SAID BEARING STRUCTURE COMPRISING AN OPPOSED PAIR OF SEMICIRCULAR MEMBERS, ONE OF SAID PAIR OF MEMBERS BEING DISPLACED INTO ONE HALF OF SAID BEARING HOLE FROM THE SIDE WALL AT ONE SIDE OF SAID LATCH AND THE OTHER OF SAID MEMBERS BEING DISPLACED INTO THE OTHER HALF OF SAID BEARING HOLE FROM THE SIDE WALL AT THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID LATCH, SAID PAIR OF MEMBERS EACH HAVING A ROOT PORTION CONNECTING IT TO THE SIDE WALL FROM WHICH IT IS DISPLACED, SAID ROOT PORTION OF EACH OF SAID MEMBERS LYING OPPOSITE TO AND HAVING AN INNER SURFACE IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OTHER OF SAID MEMBERS. 